Brass can be easily shaped or bored When I worked in one factory as a maintenance engineer I made many parts by hand to save the owners time and money even parts for machine tools which I repaired.
With the demise of engineering in the UK I cant even show young blokes the basics of engineering as its all about the service industry now.
But if Steven is near you then get him to manufacture it for you.
With the demise of engineering in the UK I cant even show young blokes the basics of engineering as its all about the service industry now.
But if Steven is near you then get him to manufacture it for you.
> small brass part ....(the original sheared in half)
Brass is easy to solder. Of course if the normal stresses are too much for brass, normal solder will not last. But if it broke by rare accident, solder can give it another life. (I used to repair the wind-up key for a school clock this way.)
Brass is easy to solder. Of course if the normal stresses are too much for brass, normal solder will not last. But if it broke by rare accident, solder can give it another life. (I used to repair the wind-up key for a school clock this way.)
I have a small brass part from a turntable that I need to have duplicated (the original sheared in half), hopefully at not too crazy of a price.
I also have all the tools needed to make a new part. However, it is difficult to know what you need. Can you provide pictures?
Once someone knows what machining is required, the followup would be dimensions and tolerances. As in, does it need half thousand's tolerance?
jn
I worked on a screw-threading machine between frosh and soph years in college -- does that work. It gave me nightmares as there was no tolerance for rejects -- this in the era in which "six-sigma" was unknown.
The only other thing which was similarly upsetting -- being the french fries "friar" at McDonalds the year before which paid a whopping $0.50/hr! My face was so pocked w acne that it looked like the Battle of the Somme.
(The screw-threading job for electrical fixtures was in a non-union shop and paid over $5.00/hr -- more than you could make with a BA in English at the time! -- but you had to do the job perfectly!)
The only other thing which was similarly upsetting -- being the french fries "friar" at McDonalds the year before which paid a whopping $0.50/hr! My face was so pocked w acne that it looked like the Battle of the Somme.
(The screw-threading job for electrical fixtures was in a non-union shop and paid over $5.00/hr -- more than you could make with a BA in English at the time! -- but you had to do the job perfectly!)
Thanks for the offer. I'm in the U.S. (New Jersey).
I appreciate the willingness to help. I do have someone currently taking a stab at it. Hopefully he'll be successful. But if not, I'll circle back to the thread and post photos, dimensions, etc.
Make it in gun metal or aluminum rod, or steel.
Brass now is mostly cast, extruded sections are difficult to get.
Cast brass is weak and of unknown composition.
If wear is not an issue, use a glass filled nylon or Teflon rod to make it. Easy enough to source, I think, and you need one piece, which can't be very big.
Brass now is mostly cast, extruded sections are difficult to get.
Cast brass is weak and of unknown composition.
If wear is not an issue, use a glass filled nylon or Teflon rod to make it. Easy enough to source, I think, and you need one piece, which can't be very big.
Quote- "Cast brass is weak" ---er NO maybe in 2021 but certainly not in my day , I have repaired foundry machinery and watched the different chemical + metals added to it and watched it being cast shaped in a turning machine/centre lathe and fitted to big ships pumps which lasted for many decades .
It depends where its cast and by whom and the amount of profit taking first place instead of quality, so if you know that applies nowadays mechanical engineering has sunk to a very low ebb.
It depends where its cast and by whom and the amount of profit taking first place instead of quality, so if you know that applies nowadays mechanical engineering has sunk to a very low ebb.
I said:
"Cast brass is weak and of unknown composition."
If a small piece of brass is cast from scrap in a small crucible, it will have so many tramp impurities that you will get dizzy.
And a small piece of brass, which is zinc and copper alloy, is too much to cast from basic composition. Also, it has to be a controlled or at least non oxidizing atmosphere above the crucible.
That is why I said gun metal and suggested alternates.
I myself got bushes for power presses cast and machined in 1985 or so, we used scrap bathroom taps and the worn out bushes as the raw material. We sold those presses in 2012 when the plant was closed.
Back then, it was a common thing for foundries to do, but now most of them are closed as bigger users put their own plants, or changed away from brass.
But as the need for top quality brass has reduced, with aluminum bronze, gun metal and so on being available, and also I do not know where the poster is located, I gave alternates.
Here we have a foundry expert, with the metal analysis equipment, to actually cast it, even in nodular iron to up to 25 kilos or so in house. More, up to many tons with ageing, in iron, can be done at known foundries, with assured quality.
But that is too much effort for a turn table pulley weighing less than 200 grams at most, and a one off item.
Not worth the hassle really.
"Cast brass is weak and of unknown composition."
If a small piece of brass is cast from scrap in a small crucible, it will have so many tramp impurities that you will get dizzy.
And a small piece of brass, which is zinc and copper alloy, is too much to cast from basic composition. Also, it has to be a controlled or at least non oxidizing atmosphere above the crucible.
That is why I said gun metal and suggested alternates.
I myself got bushes for power presses cast and machined in 1985 or so, we used scrap bathroom taps and the worn out bushes as the raw material. We sold those presses in 2012 when the plant was closed.
Back then, it was a common thing for foundries to do, but now most of them are closed as bigger users put their own plants, or changed away from brass.
But as the need for top quality brass has reduced, with aluminum bronze, gun metal and so on being available, and also I do not know where the poster is located, I gave alternates.
Here we have a foundry expert, with the metal analysis equipment, to actually cast it, even in nodular iron to up to 25 kilos or so in house. More, up to many tons with ageing, in iron, can be done at known foundries, with assured quality.
But that is too much effort for a turn table pulley weighing less than 200 grams at most, and a one off item.
Not worth the hassle really.
Why would anybody wish to take scrap and recast it?
I've used brass in many forms, different types, hardness, red, naval, whatever..
I've not had any issues whatsoever, purchasing from Online Metals or Mcmaster-carr. My last purchase even came with certs, I hadn't expected that. The titanium I bought, kinda expected certs as it was aircraft alloy.
It's just so easy to get quality metals point and click now. Milling, turning, drilling, tapping, I've had no issues.
Brass is actually my favorite to work, aluminum a close second. But brass is the standard bearer for mechanical clocks going on 4 centuries, which is what I repair as a hobby, well I also teach it locally at a museum. Well, will again soon as covid restrictions ease up.
edit: I met a guy who makes tower clocks for customers all over the world, he gave me a personal tour of his house/workshop. You should see the hunks of brass he uses...whoa.
jn
I've used brass in many forms, different types, hardness, red, naval, whatever..
I've not had any issues whatsoever, purchasing from Online Metals or Mcmaster-carr. My last purchase even came with certs, I hadn't expected that. The titanium I bought, kinda expected certs as it was aircraft alloy.
It's just so easy to get quality metals point and click now. Milling, turning, drilling, tapping, I've had no issues.
Brass is actually my favorite to work, aluminum a close second. But brass is the standard bearer for mechanical clocks going on 4 centuries, which is what I repair as a hobby, well I also teach it locally at a museum. Well, will again soon as covid restrictions ease up.
edit: I met a guy who makes tower clocks for customers all over the world, he gave me a personal tour of his house/workshop. You should see the hunks of brass he uses...whoa.
jn
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I love brass and bronze and love to machine them. The problem is cost. Almost nothing today, save for maybe marine stuff, is made from copper alloys if they can possibly be avoided. I find people often don't even like the way it looks. Sometimes I make tooling or fixtures for work, using brass, and get a strange look. Aluminum and stainless steel are what's expected. Guess you have to be "of a certain age."
@Conrad Hoffman - I have to agree with you. For me brass and bronze has such a "classy" look. Aluminium and S/S have their place, but are definitely secondary.
I intend to finish off an RIAA amp with some purpleheart wood and brass trim. Hopefully it will look good. I also picked up a brass "puck" 130 mm dia. x 120 mm high for a tonearm off-board mount. I must still take it to a machine shop this year.
I intend to finish off an RIAA amp with some purpleheart wood and brass trim. Hopefully it will look good. I also picked up a brass "puck" 130 mm dia. x 120 mm high for a tonearm off-board mount. I must still take it to a machine shop this year.
Ever heard that funny new buzzword .... "recycling"?
Going strong for about 25-30 years now.
Maybe not considered if you make a couple small parts at a home workshop and don´t mind paying through the nose for very small amounts from hobby suppliers like Mc Master but if commercially making products for sale in the competitive market, every cent counts.
So the quality parameter there is "good enough" , with emphasis in "enough" of course, parts must do their work properly, but no space ($$$$) for over engineering under penalty ofpricing yourself out of the Market.
FWIW I commercially make Guitar amplifiers, do all chassis work in-house, and *only* use recycled aluminum.
There´s a recycler/reprocessor nearby who melts what he receives, makes tree trunk sized ingots and laminates/rolls them down to desired thickness, then tempers it as needed: hard for stamped rigid parts, semi hard suitable for punching and bending (which I use) and extra soft to spin or stamp pots and pans.
They start with recycled soda can aluminum, which is very high quality by definition.
I certainly agree with recycling, no issue. But this is not a discussion of saving the earth, saving money...it's a discussion of a single part that someone needs for a turntable.
To discount brass because someone is not good at recycling metallurgy, that is not how it works for most hobbyists. As you said, they will pay through the nose to get small quantities, but it won't be poor quality...assuming it's not on ebay..
jn
To discount brass because someone is not good at recycling metallurgy, that is not how it works for most hobbyists. As you said, they will pay through the nose to get small quantities, but it won't be poor quality...assuming it's not on ebay..
jn
1. I don't know where the thing is needed, and have no idea about the machining costs, and facility available.
2. The availability of a seller of high quality brass, and the willingness to sell a small piece is in doubt.
3. I did say facilities are available, BUT for a one off item it is not worth the hassle.
I just talked to somebody who can hear the sound difference from different speaker wires, the rest of the system staying unchanged.
It takes all kinds of people and their attention to details that makes the world what it is today.
2. The availability of a seller of high quality brass, and the willingness to sell a small piece is in doubt.
3. I did say facilities are available, BUT for a one off item it is not worth the hassle.
I just talked to somebody who can hear the sound difference from different speaker wires, the rest of the system staying unchanged.
It takes all kinds of people and their attention to details that makes the world what it is today.
Agreed. The OP has not provided any details as to what it is that needs to be fabricated. He has someone who is going to try, but that is as far as he has posted...
Actually, not really. Getting high quality brass online is rather easy nowadays. But as others have mentioned, that comes at a higher price.
That is perfectly fine. they either heard something that is real, or there was expectation bias. Who knows, it matters not..
We are in violent agreement...
jn
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